Ranelagh takes a leaf out of Glasnevin’s book

"They're going to upset the whole ecology of the area, closing off Dunville Avenue, " says Gerry Griffin.

He and many other people who live or work in the area sandwiched between Ranelagh and Rathmines are miffed at plans by the National Transport Agency to slice the road in two, creating in effect two cul-de-sacs but allowing for uninterrupted movement of the Green Line Luas at Beechwood. . . and the proposd new Metro running on the same rails.

However, emboldened by the example set by people in Glasnevin, whose campaign to stop the temporary closure of Na Fianna GAA club while the Metro is build through their area has been successful, the southsiders are campaigning for a rethink.

Glasnevin's efforts " shows communities can make a difference and we should do that if we're not happy," according to Sorcha Mullen of Ranelagh.

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Destined for failure

Mr Griffin believes the whole Metro development is destined for failure in the current political and economic climate.

“This is another red herring – it’s never going to happen,” he says. “It’s going to cost a fortune. It’s a total political football.”

Local business owners are afraid of the disruption construction and development on the line will cause to their livelihoods.

Gary Morton of Morton's Food Store says: "In the immediate area, closing Dunville Avenue is a horror story. It will be the start of the demise of Dunville Avenue as a retail area."

He insists that he is not opposed to a Metro line in Dublin. In fact, he thinks it is an essential part of of making the city a real capital. “Dublin needs to become a city, it needs a metro. What they’re proposing is going about it the wrong way.”

Beyond capacity

Part of the reason the Luas Green line is being upgraded to handle the new Metro is due to NTA predictions that the service will be beyond capacity by 2020 without some change.

Mr Morton says the Luas is only over capacity because of people from other areas travelling to stops such as Beechwood, something that could be fixed by redirecting the Metro out to less serviced areas, he says.

“It should be going southwest of here, continuing underground out towards Terenure.”